Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to requirecompanies with more than 50 employees to publish their ethnicity pay gap data.

Lord Callanan: The Government has no plans to require companies with more than 50 employees to publish their ethnicity pay gap data. In Inclusive Britain, the Government’s response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, we committed to publish guidance for employers on voluntary ethnicity pay reporting.

Department of Health and Social Care

Diabetes: Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by JDRFResearch to Reality, published in April,what discussions they havehad with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) around embedding patient reported outcomes in their procedures.

Lord Kamall: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will develop processes for patient engagement and involvement and has committed to publish information on how this is achieved. The MHRA intends to embed these processes by December 2022.

Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the definition of the “Declaration of Helsinki” in Schedule 1 to the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 to refer to the current version of that Declaration.

Lord Kamall: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently undertook a consultation on changes to the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004, including Schedule 1. The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and the response will be published in due course.

Department for Education

Citizenship: Education

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to revise the inspection criteria for Citizenship Education with Ofsted; and what plans they have to publish (1) any correspondence, or (2) the minutes of meetings, with Ofsted, including of any meeting that took place on 15 March.

Baroness Barran: I refer the noble Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts to the answer I gave on 25 April 2022 to question HL7809.The government has now responded to the recommendations outlined within ‘The Ties that Bind: Citizenship and Civic Engagement in the 21st Century Follow-up report’, including the recommendations relating to the inspection of citizenship education.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Barran on 25 May (HL235), how many Ukrainian university students have been given visas to study at a UK university, following Russia's invasion of that country.

Baroness Barran: The information requested is not held by the department. The Home Office is responsible for issuing visas, including student visas.Following Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine we have seen an extremely positive response from the higher education sector in their offer of support to future cohorts of Ukrainian students. We are confident the sector will do their upmost to support Ukrainians wishing to access higher education in the next academic year.In addition, UUKi are progressing wider efforts to establish a mechanism to match UK universities with Ukrainian institutions through a twinning arrangement. The intention of this programme is to help Ukrainian universities sustain their operations and wherever possible, continue to retain their staff and students, albeit in partnership or remotely.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the findings of Professor Obiora Ike, Executive Director of Globethics.net, that over 30,000 Nigerians from Christian backgrounds have been killed over the last decade, and others kidnapped, brutalised or driven from their homes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the report in question and a number of other recent reports concerning the drivers of violence in Nigeria. The UK Government continues to follow increasing insecurity across Nigeria with concern, which has a devastating impact on affected communities, including both Christian and Muslim communities. The principal causes of violence across Nigeria are complex, and include criminality and competition over resources. We continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence and ensure the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all.The Minister for Africa visited Nigeria in February 2022 and raised rising insecurity and its impact on the Nigerian people in meetings with the Vice President, Foreign Minister and several State Governors. The Minister was pleased to be able to meet with a range of interlocutors, including faith and NGO leaders, and held detailed discussions about the causes of violence. At the first dialogue of our Security and Defence Partnership in February, the UK and Nigerian Governments committed to work together to respond to rising insecurity and promote human rights. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.

Deborah Yakubu

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss the lynching of Deborah Yakubu with the government of Nigeria; and what steps they will take to promote the protection of Nigerians against religious persecution.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The murder of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto State, Nigeria, on 13 May was a barbaric and heinous act. In response, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean expressed her public condemnation, and urged the relevant authorities to ensure the perpetrators face justice in line with the law.Defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, is a longstanding human rights priority for the UK Government. The UK Government regularly discusses human rights in Nigeria with the Nigerian authorities, stressing the importance of protecting and promoting human rights for all. During her visit to Nigeria in February, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean met with community and religious leaders, with whom she discussed, among other things, the impact of the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria on local people, and their rights. She also discussed growing insecurity and violence with Nigeria's Vice President and Foreign Minister.

Russia: Freezing of Assets

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given toutilising frozen Russian assets; and whether they could be repurposed (1) to provide victims withreparations, or (2) to help to rebuild Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: When a person or organisation is subject to an asset freeze, any funds or economic resources belonging to them will be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. An asset freeze does not lead to a change of ownership, and the release of frozen assets may only be accomplished legally with a licence from the Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The UK along with our allies will continue to put more pressure on Putin's regime until he withdraws his troops and ends this unjust war. Nothing and no one is off the table.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Embassies

Viscount Trenchard: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theTreasury provide the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with financial support for the (1) maintenance, and (2) development, of the overseas diplomatic estate; and if not, what assessment they have made of the compatibility of this approach with their (a) Global Britain, and (b) tilt to Asia–Pacific, policies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO's Spending Round settlement provides funds for the maintenance of the diplomatic estate. The disposal of surplus, under-used and uneconomic assets releases capital to enable us to invest in the estate. Taken together, this provides much needed investment in the FCDO's wider diplomatic estate, providing modern, fit for purpose offices and residences, tackling a large deficit of health and safety, backlog building maintenance and security-related needs across Europe, Africa and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, and funding various projects to help towards the FCDO's Net Zero ambitions.

Russia and Ukraine: Conflict Resolution

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their policy is to de-escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in order to restore peace; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK welcomes Ukraine's ongoing commitment to a diplomatic path to de-escalate. We will continue to support them in achieving an outcome that delivers for Ukraine and its people. President Putin seems determined to pursue his path of violence and aggression, as evidenced by his increased military action in the Donbas and the barbaric assault of Mariupol. We are therefore continuing to increase our economic pressure on him through sanctions, as well as providing the military assistance Ukraine needs to defend itself.

British Overseas Territories: Money Laundering and Tax Avoidance

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on reforming procedures in the UK’s Overseas Territories to eliminate (1) tax avoidance, and (2) money laundering.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Overseas Territories are committed to meeting international standards on illicit finance, tax transparency and anti-money laundering; including those set by the OECD and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Overseas Territories have their own democratically elected governments that set their financial services and fiscal policy. The Overseas Territories are all introducing publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership and they already share confidential information on company beneficial ownership with UK law enforcement bodies under the Exchange of Notes Arrangements. Information provided has enabled the seizure of illicit funds, including information to support the National Crime Agency's first Unexplained Wealth Order, which froze approximately £25 million. All Overseas Territories with financial centres are committed to global tax transparency standards such as the OECD Common Reporting Standard, an agreement to automatically exchange financial account information with other jurisdictions. The UK Government welcomes these commitments, which demonstrate that the Overseas Territories are responsible jurisdictions that will implement changing UK, EU and global norms.

Tokyo: Embassies

Viscount Trenchard: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the implications of the decision to sell part of the British Embassy estate in Tokyo.

Viscount Trenchard: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the sale of part of the British Embassy in Tokyo during the 150th anniversary year of the visit to the UK of the Iwakura Mission.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO has completed the sale of an under-used part of our Tokyo compound to Mitsubishi Estates, while retaining the Chancery building and its historic frontage. In line with our ambitions for the Indo-Pacific tilt, this sale gives us the opportunity to modernise and upgrade our Tokyo embassy to ensure it is truly representative of the best of Britain, including through sustainable and inclusive design, whilst also preserving its heritage buildings. The sale has maximised value for money for the British taxpayer, funding much-needed investment not just in Tokyo but also elsewhere in our global estate. The Japanese Government has been kept informed of our plans.

Ukraine: Shipping

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the passage of ships from non-NATO countries into the Port of Odessa to enable the shipment of grain to countries facing food shortages.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to work with international partners to resume the export of grain and other important food exports like sunflower oil from Ukraine to the countries that desperately need them. We support the US Call to Action and the German Presidency-led G7 Global Alliance as ways to achieve this. We are urgently working with Ukraine, the UN, the G7 and the international community to restart Ukraine's food exports to global markets via the international commercial shipping industry.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Airports

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Border Force regarding problems encountered by passengers at e-gates with the new UK passports.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Passengers may be referred from the e-Gates to an officer at PCP desks for a variety of reasons. There are well defined processes for updating UK border systems when new documents are introduced and the performance of new British passports through UK border controls is being monitored. We are receiving feedback there may be higher levels of referrals with some of these passports and are working to determine root cause.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Public Records

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what agreement has been reached on the timetable for the further release of official Government documents relating to the period from 1997.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Government records are released in line with the requirements set out in the Public Records Act 1958 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Each department is responsible for complying with its obligations under this legislation.Since 2013, Government departments have been transitioning to a ‘20-year rule’ – that is, transferring selected records 20 years after they were created. This is a reduction from 30 years. Under this transition, departments should be compliant with the 20-year timeframe by the end of 2022.